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You've definitely changed your eating habits a little bit if you're trying to lose weight in a healthy way. Maybe you cleaned out the cookies and chips from your cabinet and refrigerator and replaced them with nutrient-rich alternatives. To help you become more conscious of how much you're eating, you can be using a calorie counter. Perhaps you're now paying closer attention to portion proportions. However, have you considered eating dinner at a different time?
Many individuals think that ingesting fewer calories than you burn is the only factor in weight loss. However, research is demonstrating that there is more to it than that, and when you eat could be important. I'm curious how. Here, qualified dietitians discuss how timing of meals affects shedding pounds. Additionally, learn the ideal dinnertime if you're attempting to reduce weight.
How Do Timing of Meals Affect Weight Loss?
According to registered dietitian and Noom coach Kendra Haire, RDN, LD, the number of calories consumed, not the time of day you take your meals, is what matters most when it comes to weight loss. However, losing weight is challenging, so anything that can help you at least a little is worth thinking about, right? According to Long Island, New York-based registered dietitian Kimberly Weimann, MS, RDN, the time of your meals can affect how fast (or slowly) you lose weight.
Weimann cites research from 2021 that was published in the British Journal of Nutrition and revealed that participants who ate supper earlier while on a weight loss program lost more weight than those who ate dinner later while on the same program. Weimann notes that late eaters are more likely to have trouble losing weight. "Researchers hypothesize that this may be caused by the late meal influence on circadian genes."
This is supported by a second scientific study that was published in Cell, at least for animals. The study discovered that eating meals later disrupted the circadian rhythm of the body, also known as the internal clock, and suggested that this would make it more difficult to lose weight.
According to registered dietitian Lindsay Allen, RD, the body burns more fat while we sleep, which is why eating dinner earlier rather than later can aid in weight loss. Your body is built to be in a ketogenic state while you sleep, using its fat reserves to provide energy that is mostly needed for cell repair. If you eat late, your insulin levels increase, which disrupts this process because your body must now focus on digesting rather than repair, according to the expert.
What is the best time to eat dinner if you're attempting to lose weight in light of this? In the British Journal of Nutrition study, those who lost weight successfully ate dinner between 7 and 7:30 p.m., whereas those who had less success did so between 10:30 and 11 p.m. In light of these findings, it is advised to try to have dinner by 7 or 7:30 p.m.